After a long journey down from the North East, we finally arrived on the shores of Hunstanton, and popped into the sailing club to see who was about. We were greeted by the Race Crew - Pete Shaw, Ali Barrett, Richard Flindall and Sukie Robertson. After saying our hello's it was clear that everyone was making preparations for the event, so we set off to get the keys for our caravan and hook up with Aaron and Sally, who had made the journey down from the North East also.We were to be joined later by another of our friends; Andrew; whose birthday was today, so we set off to the supermarket to make preparations for a birthday BBQ, complete my gaudy pink 'Happy Birthday' sashes and a 'My Little Princess' birthday cake, all to be washed down with a bottle of Jaegermeister!Andrew had set off much later and got caught up in traffic on the way down. Our BBQ plan also proved not to be such a good one, as it was now chucking it down with rain, but we got it lit, sheltered under the awning and proceeded to cook by torchlight. Andrew also had the job of putting his tent up in the pouring rain - not the best start to his birthday evening!The night was spent sinking our fair share of alcohol, whilst exchanging plenty of banter about the competition to follow, we were all looking forward for what was to come, and bets were being placed upon who would come out on top!

Saturday started with an early briefing, which was complimented nicely by bacon sarnies at the sailing club. We were informed that it was unlikely that any competition would run today, except for a SUP race and the possibility of running the juniors if the wind became strong enough.By mid-morning the wind was starting to pick up, and we decided to get our light-wind kites out on the water, hoping that it would increase further from there. The SUP race had started by the time we got down to the water, and whilst it was just about possible to keep up wind, doing any tricks was a different matter entirely!The juniors however did have enough to get out on the water, and competition began. After a few stop and start heats they managed to battle through to get a result. They also tried to run the am ladies too, but there clearly wasn't sufficient wind for them so competition was halted for the day.The rest of the day was spent watching the Parkour, BMX, Scooter and Inline displays, whilst catching up with everyone on the tour who we hadn't seen for the past year. It was clear that everyone was very excited for the conditions forecast for Sunday - wind all day! and I think most took it easy that night in preparation for an early start.

I was awoken early on Sunday to the sound of wind, and lots of it! It sounded like near gale force as the rain lashed the caravan. As I'd left my smallest kites at home I hoped that it would calm down a bit by the time the competition started.At the briefing, we were informed that the running order would be seniors followed by amateurs, then all of the pros. I was drawn up against my good friend Dave Wilde in my first heat, which I was certain would be a tough one! Andrew and Aaron were drawn up against each other also, and it was clear that the talk of Friday night would soon be brought to the water!

As the first heat approached a tough call had to be made on which kite size to use. I opted to copy Dave and go for my 11m Airush Razor. As the heat began it became very clear we'd overestimated the wind, and we were both very soon struggling to stay in the competition area. I struggled to land anything significant except a tantrum, grabbed front roll and raley to blind; Dave landed a back to wrapped and a blind judge and hence progressed straight to the final. As I was waiting for the second round heat to begin, I'd heard that young Aaron had beaten Andrew in his heat and progressed straight to the final with a guaranteed podium.The second round put me up against cable park master Dave Whiston and Mark Seager. The wind continued to be on the light side, and whilst I managed to get a raley to blind, a grabbed front and an underpowered f-16, I couldn't manage to stick a 313 despite several attempts. I was pleased to hear that I'd done enough to make the final against Dave Wilde and 5 times former champion Pete Whiteley.The final started much better as the wind powered through, I knew I had to up my game from the earlier rounds, so went out straight from the off and hit a nice powered blind judge. I then looked to get the 313 in, and failed at the first attempt. Looking downwind I could see that Pete Whiteley's kite was tangled up and spinning on the 5th line, with daughter Hannah trying to get it under control. On my outward tack I managed to stick a front to blind, and finally got my 313 on the way in - I knew I had a good chance of winning now, but wanted to make sure and get some more tricks on the board.By this time, Pete had miraculously got his kite untangled and was already back on the water - great skills! I went for a kiteloop 3, which wasn't as powered as I'd like, and whilst I did catch the bar in mid-air, I didn't stick the landing. I tacked back out again, and hoped to have time for another attempt, but by this time the heat was over and I just had to hope I'd done enough.

Now that it was all over we relished the opportunity of watching the insane action courtesy of the many pros which had entered, and it was great to watch such big names as Sam Light, World Junior Champion Tom Bridge, George Dufty, Jake Kelsick, Rosanna Jury and Hannah Whiteley to name but a few.Tom was impressing by landing technical moves with ease and George's powerful style was great to watch whilst Sam Light just made it all look too easy, adding grabs in left right and centre. The other pro's also put on a great show and it was great to sit back and watch them as the heats progressed.Before too long the finals were upon us. The ladies showed great grit and determination as the conditions proved to be more difficult as high tide approached - it was clear it was going to be a result which was hard to call between Rosanna Jury and Hannah Whiteley.The men's final was a mouth-watering affair with Sam Light taking on Tom Bridge and George Dufty. Tom was going big and technical for someone of such a young age and was clearly a match for the other riders. George was firing on all cylinders with some big powered moves, but soon found himself at the downwind mark and continued to bang out his big moves down there, whilst Tom and Sam remained centre-stage in front of the judges. Sam continued to be the one to watch with his effortless Slim Chances and grabbed back mobe, but then Tom Bridge really put the cat amongst the pigeons with a clean 317. Sam replied immediately with a Blind Judge 5 which swiftly restored the damage before the finals came to a conclusion.

The tide by now was well on its way in, and everyone packed up in preparation for prize-giving and results. The juniors were announced first, with Young Tom Seager taking the title. Both amateur titles were taken by newcomers Joe and Holly Keenan, and I was very pleased to find out I had indeed done enough pipping Dave Wilde and Pete Whiteley to the Senior title.I was super stoked to hear that the ladies pro title was awarded to Airush team-mate Rosanna Jury, and that Sam Light's flawless style, variety and power was enough to take the victory ahead of young ripper Tom Bridge and George Dufty.

We knew it would soon be time to be saying our farewells for another year, and reflected on an epic day of competition. It was great to catch up again with the competitors both old and new. Roll on the 2015 Competition Season!

As I made my way up to Fraserburgh, I didn't know quite what to expect. The wind forecast showed some promise for Sunday, and there was the possibility of some big kite action on Saturday - I'd packed all the light wind toys just in case. After a six hour drive through picturesque Northumberland and the Scottish counties, I finally arrived outside Synergy Kitesports and was greeted by the familiar face of JP and we spent half an hour catching up. After chewing the fat we could see that the swell was building slightly after the tide turned, and I was eager to score some waves after the long drive. After a good hour and a half on the water, it was time to book in to the neighboring campsite, have a bite to eat and catch up some more with the others and have some banter over a few beers.

The obstacles

Saturday dawned with a light wind forecast, which was set to increase by early evening, and we kept ourselves entertained by getting registered, moving the obstacles down to the beach, going over the rules and generally hoping for the wind to pick up. By mid-afternoon the onshore wind was sufficiently strong to start running heats and a straight port tack course was setup parallel to the shore which was being constantly jostled by the breaking waves. After a few test runs, the heat sheets were drawn up and the competition was well and truly on!

We all watched on with great interest as the first heat started, and there was mixed success in getting over the obstacles - some of which were cleared with ease, some cleared but with a loss of control of the kite, and others hilariously face-planted into! The breaking waves were making the course extra tricky, and a certain amount of timing was required to ensure you didn't come up a cropper! Next up it was my turn, and found it tricky to master the start procedure; getting over the line as soon after the horn blows. I still managed a pretty good start and powered toward the finish without significant mishap. It was good to sit back again and watch a few heats as the others did battle; The double height 'wall' obstacle was causing significant issue for some riders, who struggled to pop and land well without the assistance of board fins. Before long it was the Semi's and I was drawn up against JP Butterworth, who was to have an absolute worldie of a start - powering through the line just as the horn went. I powered frantically through the course to try and catch him, but the end was nearing fast and the opportunity was unlikely. However just as JP cleared the last obstacle, 10m ahead of me, he clipped it as he went over which dumped him into the water. I took the opportunity to power past and take the win and plenty of banter was exchanged when we met up again on the beach afterwards!

Day 1 Results

It was good to sit back again and watch a few heats as the others did battle; The double height 'wall' obstacle was causing significant issue for some riders, who struggled to pop and land well without the assistance of board fins. Before long it was the Semi's and I was drawn up against JP Butterworth, who was to have an absolute worldie of a start - powering through the line just as the horn went. I powered frantically through the course to try and catch him, but the end was nearing fast and the opportunity was unlikely. However just as JP cleared the last obstacle, 10m ahead of me, he clipped it as he went over which dumped him into the water. I took the opportunity to power past and take the win and plenty of banter was exchanged when we met up again on the beach afterwards! After a couple more heats the finals were upon us, and Jake Higgins and Damian Carre joined me in the final showdown of the day. I made sure I had a good start this time, sitting close to the line and powering away as soon as the horn blew - this put me straight into the lead and just a matter from there of a fast, clean run to the finish line. After helping clear up the equipment, the evenings events took us to Cheers bar in Fraserburgh town, and we sunk a few more beers whilst discussing the events of the day, whilst looking forward to the stronger conditions forecast for Sunday.

JP, Maggie and Mark

As we attended the morning briefings the wind cross-offshore wind was clearly building, and there was a significant swell present also. The organizers set out a starboard tack away from the beach, around a buoy, returning back again further downwind. The had notably opted to put the 'Wall' obstacle on the starboard tack this time, which was most likely to be the weaker side for most people, which was further complicated by the waves jacking it up as they rolled past. The first few heats were simply carnage - the gusty offshore winds, coupled with the breaking waves and obstacles on peoples weaker side made for some very amusing viewing. I opted for a 14m Lithium which would be well overpowered for most uses, but was perfect for the gusty conditions and powering out through the break and over the obstacles. I managed to lead from the front in most rounds, but was caught napping by Ross Knox in one round who powered away from the start, only to lose speed when the landing from an obstacle didn't go quite as he'd hoped. He could be heard screaming 'Nooooo' as I pulled ahead and went on to secure victory.

As round 2 concluded, I'd secured an unassailable lead, but there remained enough time to run a third round with the wall back again on port tack. JP and Ross managed to improve their previous standing and make it to second and third place respectively in the overall standings.

After packing down, the award ceremony was upon us, and thanks were sent out to the KBC Tour organisers, Synergy Kitesports and Scottish Windfest for their tireless work on event planning and organisation. As the results were read out and we took our places on the podium, we were all gobsmacked by the prizes which we gladly received. A great end to an exceptional weekend, and especially nice to be involved in an exciting new kitesurfing format which is open to all kitesurfers intermediate and beyond.

I arrived at lunch time on Friday after a 3 hour drive over from the North East, it was a nice day with a bit of a chill in the air, but very little in the way of wind. A group of school children were booked in for some powerkite tasters and it was a real struggle to even get the kites in the air - they seemed to have a fun time though. The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting with the other competitors, organisers and exhibitors. A meeting was also called by the BKSA race crew, and we discussed the events next year and looking at increasing future participation. The evening was spent in the usual fashion after dinner was served courtesy of the BKSA then we sank a few beers with plenty of banter, whilst listening to some vocalists on the open mic event and a very good 5-piece band. We were all very aware of the extreme conditions forecast for Sunday, and the excitement and anticipation was clearly building.

Saturday started with lovely warm sunshine and a light onshore breeze which lasted all day. I took the opportunity to get the turbine pumped up to continue the tradition of being first on the water. I borrowed a free-race board from Mike Birt and had a great time razzing up and down, whilst working on my strap to strap gybes in glorious sunshine. After a long break for lunch I hit the water again on the race board, but also got a few minutes on an 18m strutless kite - a real eye opener with crazy power once you build up some apparent wind - a little too much in fact!The evening was kicked off with an amazing curry courtesy of the BKSA - it really hit the spot! It was a little more subdued than the previous night with a lot of the competitors wanting to save themselves for the big winds and high seas forecast for the following day. I expect the non-competitors had a great time though!

By early morning it was very clear that the conditions were going to be extreme - torrential rain was pinging off the van, which was being further rocked by punchy gusts. I poked my head out at 7am to see some very keen windsurfers already out on the water, making the most of the cross-shore conditions for some impressive bump and jump riding in the waves. Ant Baker was the first to head out on a kite, and came back in with tales of super harsh conditions and brutal gusts... we knew the competition was going to be a tough battle between ourselves, but more importantly with the elements.

The morning brief was held at 9:30, and we were told that the first possible start was going to be in an hour, and that the ordering was going to be am's followed by ladies followed by pro men. I opted to pump up my 5.5 Stormchaser and 7m Hadlow, and went out for a quick free-ride on the 5.5m to gauge the conditions. It was definitely very harsh, with wide variations in the wind strength - it was definitely doable on the 5.5 - but doing anything technical in those conditions was another question completely.

The am. men were first up, and we all watched with keen anticipation. Young Eoghan who had been promoted from the Youths, was way overpowered and got blown straight out of the zone and was unable to make it back again. Daniel was pulling off some nice boosts and back-loops, but Craig Smith really put the hammer down with some big airs, one footers, kite-loops and some attempts at unhooking.We were next up, and hit the water with excitement and some trepidation. Pete Whiteley went huge from the off with a big deadman down-loop which got even the windsurfers cheering! but paid for it with a sketchy landing sending his kite down and his board off in the opposite direction. JP was clearly way overpowered on his 7m and struggled to stay in the zone. I managed to keep things under control with some boosts, 1 footers, my signature invert front-roll grab, tantrum, blind ride and raley. I tried going for a handle-pass but the conditions had the better of me. Whiteley managed to recover his gear mid-way through the heat and continued to go big to impress the judges.As we left the water all the spectators commented on how much fun it was to watch, it was a great fun and really challenging.

We then had 2 more rounds of am's and seniors; Craig continued to show his dominance in the am's, landing a couple of airpasses and Daniel put up a good consistent performance; Eoghan retired due to the ferocity of the conditions. The ferocity of the first heat took its toll on the seniors, and the second was a little more subdued; Pete continued to wow the crowds with some big airtime and JP performed well too. I struggled to get consistency, missing a 313 and although I managed a Blind Judge, it all fell to pieces with a crash on landing. In the third heat the intensity was raised again everyone started by going big and I knew I had to land something technical to clinch it - after three crashed railey to blind attempts - getting ripped off the water on landing, I finally landed my fourth and knew I was in with a decent chance.We all came off the water and shook each others hands and all shared the buzz of hard fought battle in extreme conditions.

Next up, was the turn of the Pro Ladies, who struggled at first with the gnarly conditions, but as the heats progressed and the wind moderated somewhat, their A-games really started to shine. They all performed really well, but Hannah Whiteley in particular started to land some really impressive moves. Before long, the final was upon us, and Hannah, Rosanna and Holly knuckled down to competition. They all put on a great show, Hannah struggled to land the moves she was taking with ease in the previous heats and Rosanna Jury picked up where she left off with Holly really committing hard to her moves.

The action up to now left us all very excited to watch the pro men. The first heat was Kevin Matthey against Robin Snuggs, which was a HUGE spectacle - Robin hit some huge megaloops right from the off which was received with whooping and hollering from the beach. He kept on going bigger, until he bounced out of a sketchy landing which damaged his ribs, causing an early retirement :( Kevin kept pushing showing some good variety until the buzzer went. In the other heats George Dufty hit some incredible form and landed almost everything with ease, Jon Bleiker landed a great mix of technical moves and some big loops, Richy Flindall was on form, but was tricking well out to sea making it quite difficult to appreciate and Morgan Tinsley impressed with huge power and big distances traveled between take-off and landing.The final was a match-up between Richy Flindall, Jon Bleiker and George Dufty. Jon crashed and inverted his kite a couple of times, but recovered and got some impressive moves out in double-quick time. Richy continued in similar form to the previous heats, but had to retire early. George continued to be utterly clinical, landing pretty much everything he attempted, picking up mobes and airpasses with ease and there was little doubt who would be the winner.

With all the competition over, both the riders and judges were keen to hit the water again, and we all had great fun boosting as high as we could, whilst trying to dodge the windsurfers! Ali Barrett was going particularly huge and landing cleanly every time - props to him! Afterwards we all packed up and got ourselves ready for the prize giving.

Am's were first up - Craig Smith taking a well deserved win, with Daniel and Eoghan in second and third respectively. These results were mirrored in the championship standings.Seniors were up next - JP taking third, Pete Whiteley second, leaving me delighted to have taken the win and the overall championship for 2013.Next was the Pro Ladies - Rosanna over the moon to have taken the win and the championship, with Holly and Hannah following closely behind.And finally the Pro Men - George Dufty stealing the show with incredible performances all day long, Jon Bleiker taking a highly creditable second and Richy Flindall in third place.

All that was left was to say our goodbyes and prepare for the journey home. The windfest crew and BKSA had put on another incredible event and I'm sure we'll all look forward to doing it all over again next time!

I arrived at Blackpool mid afternoon on the Wednesday, the wind was blowing a hoolie and there was nobody out on the water. After saying hello to the few people who were around, I went out for a quick session on the 7m in the huge surf which was pounding the beach. The tide was coming in very quick, so had to cut my session short, but it was good fun to be out in the wild conditions.I spent the evening meeting up with some competitors as they arrived and got an early night in, as I was looking forward to seeing the pro competition on the following day.The morning briefing revealed that the pro's were going to be running a second discipline event - each rider given 7 minutes alone out on the water, with their best big air, kiteloop and technical trick being judged against eachother. It was a great format, and was really good to see the pro's going big in the extreme conditions. They were all pulling off huge kiteloops and big oldschool moves, and it was really impressive to see them also performing technical tricks the mega gusty winds and huge waves.Everyone was up for a freeride session after the pro's had shown us all how it's done, we all had a great time as the wind seemed to moderate slightly, and I got to take the new Hadlow Id out on the water for a few minutes.The following day brought the turn of the amateurs, and as the forecast was for the weather to ease slowly; the amateur men and seniors were first up. I was drawn up against Steve Mews and Dave Williams in my first heat; the wind was strong and we all opted for 7m kites, conditions were harsh and waves were dumping on the beach - the only flat water to be found was the backwash infront of the shoredump. I had a good heat, and landed most tricks, and was glad to see that I'd won it, and had progressed straight through to the finals against Kevin and Steve (who took the long way around to get there).Before long, the final was upon us and it was a difficult decision to choose between the 7m & 9m kites. I went for the 9, but the wind picked up shortly after the green flag was raised, leaving me very powered! I landed some decent tricks and an especially powered railey to blind, which found me flying along out of the trick much more powered than I went into it! I didn't land everything I wanted to, but was hopeful that I'd done enough, given the tricky conditions. I could relax for the rest of the day now, and watched most of the other heats - the pro men were as entertaining as ever and they were all landing some great tricks in the difficult conditions.

As the evening drew near we were looking forward to going to SubZero for some fun on ice skates. It was soon clear to see who had done it before, with Hannah Whiteley pulling off some tricks and Richard Gowers dancing around the rink - clearly the product of a mis-spent youth! We all had a good laugh, and it was clear to see how much people were improving in just an hour or so. I knew it was going to be a big party night on Saturday, so retired back to the van to get a good nights sleep.

When Saturday came, it was announced at the briefing that all the freestyle classes would be racing for the prize of a GoPro camera donated by loopingit.com; exact details were scant to start with, but as the tide went out and the race team got things setup we all gathered for a briefing. The idea was to start at Marks truck, with kite aloft, rush to the water, then kite 500m or so along the shore, around Richards truck, then back again to Marks truck for the finish. The seniors were drawn to race first, so I opted to take out my ancient 2005 16m Naish Torch to hopefully give me a power advantage compared to the others... It was in fact a double edged sword...As soon as the race began and I started running with the kite, it started pulling me back toward the beach, so much so that I could hardly make it to the water. I ended up running probably 1/3rd of the way to Richards truck before finally getting on the board, but was great to see I was in the lead! I continued leading until it became time to round Richards truck, and the second I started to run away from the wind, the kite started falling out of the air. Dave Williams with his Taboo overtook me with ease at this point, but after I rounded the truck I was determined to make up the lost ground. After another epic struggle to get back to the beach I made it ahead of Dave again, and 1/3rd of the way along to Marks truck already. I powered back on the board to the finish line, and crossed it just in front of Dave.There was a bit of an inquiry into my tactics, and it was decided that the race would be re-run with the inclusion of an additional cone to prevent corner cutting. I had a very poor start position, but It all started well, but ended up losing a lot of ground after rounding Richards truck, and got overtaken on the water on the way back to the finish line.After each of the freestyle classes had competed against each other, the winners of each race were put together for a grand final, which resulted in a well deserved win for Ali Barrett.

As evening approached we all got ready for the prize giving at the Savoy Hotel. After sinking a few beers and demolishing the buffet, the awards were handed out. I was stoked to hear that I'd won my first ever event, with Steve Mews taking 2nd and Kevin Matthey 3rd. This meant that I'd secured second place for the year behind the old master Pete Whiteley - perhaps next year the positions will be reversed :) Big congrats to Luke Whiteside and Hannah Whiteley for taking the pro titles!After all the results were read out, some serious partying was in order, first at the Savoy then off into town to Walkabout bar to get a boogie on! I called it a night sometime after 3am, but I think for some that may just have been the beginning :)

That rounds up another great year on the tour. It's a great pity that it's such a big gap until the first event of 2012, but there's loads of time to get some solid practice in and prepare for battle once more.....

The journey down to North Wales on Friday was a good one, helped along by some thumping tunes provided by Hospital Records. I Pulled in at Kimnel bay just before 3, and after saying hello to everyone it seemed that the conditions were good enough to give the Slingshot Turbine a trip out on the water. The wind was cross-offshore and pretty gusty, but it picked up slowly, allowing me to get some serious airtime, and also to try some unhooked moves with it (A full review will follow when I've spent a bit more time with it).After a couple of hours on the water, I retired before the rain came through and enjoyed the BBQ and sank a few beers with the other competitors.The forecast for Saturday was decent yet cross-offshore and gusty, and the plan was to try and get all the competitions completed that day. They opted to run the juniors and girls first, before getting onto us heavyweights, leaving plenty of time to get out on the water and get a feel for the conditions.After a couple of hours of competition it came around to our first heat; I was up against Steve Mews, Marcus Hawkins and Kevin Matthey. All went well initially landed a high grabbed frontroll followed by a railey to blind in the tricky conditions; however I somehow managed to activate my safety release after passing the bar - sending the kite tumbling out of the air. Fortunately, it came to ground pretty quickly, and I managed to grab the bar, reconnect the chicken loop, and got some assistance to get the kite back into the air. The lines were all twisted up but the kite was flying, and I had no time to fix it, so headed straight back out onto the water, with sheer determination to make up for my mistake. After getting back upwind I strung a load of moves together in a frantic attempt to get some points; I didn't even hear the buzzer signalling the end of the heat - I was probably still out trying to get in as many moves as possible.I was really pleased to see that despite the difficulties, I'd managed to score a win and a place in the final - the others must have clearly been struggling with the far from perfect conditions (albeit with their kite attached!).This left me with plenty of time to watch the other heats and prepare for the final against Pete Whiteley, Kevin Matthey and Steve Mews. The final started off well, landed an early railey to blind after a previous attempt which found me flying across the water in a nasty gust. I opted to play it safe for the rest of the heat to rack up as many points as possible in the difficult conditions. When the buzzer blew to signal the end I had a good feeling that I'd done enough to secure the win, and all that was left was to wait for the evening event to get the results. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the pro's showing us all how it's done - they were clearly struggling too but Ali Barrett was pulling off some amazing high handlepasses and powered low moves, but perhaps not as consistently as the North boys, who were ripping also.We all headed down to the May Quay public house for a few ales and to talk about the days events. After food had been served, Mark Ward announced the Seniors' results in reverse order - Steve Mews 4th, Kev Matthey 3rd, myself in second and the old master Pete Whiteley taking top spot again! After loads of banter with the guys, I found out later that the judges decision was a split one, and had just not done quite enough to seal the win - my conservative approach had probably cost me.Sunday was a very relaxed affair, and we awoke to bright sunshine, cal and warm temperatures. We all enjoyed the sun and generally passed the time on Dave's inflatable SUP's and helping Flindal with his kite-tow attempts in the light winds. At 1pm they decided to run the prizegiving and Whiteley did his best to shower myself & Kev with bubbly, but it was the King of Watersports award that came as the biggest surprise, as they awarded it to me for my never-say-die lightwind attitude - I was over the moon, as it was totally out of the blue. I was awarded a brand new Sector9 longboard which will keep me busy whenevr the winds not blowing - epic!

It's been a busy few weeks for me, and this update is well overdue.I rolled up to Barrow after charging across the country straight after work on the Thursday evening, there didn't seem to be a great deal of wind on the jurney over, but when I drove into Barrow, it was blowing a full on hoolie. A couple of people were out on sevens, the wind was blowing 35 knots plus, and the seas were huge, but after a week of work I was well up for a session before getting some food in.

The wind on Friday was a little calmer than the previous evening, but most of the pro's were opting for 7m kites. They were a judge short for the Pro competition, and was asked if I could do it, which I was happy to oblig. It was a real eye opener for how it works behind the scenes and the difficulties the judges face when watching 3 people simultaneously whilst noting down moves at the same time.The Pro competition ran very smoothly, the wind was great and all the heats and finals were over in a couple of hours, leaving loads of time on the water with all the competitors and crew.

Saturday soon came around, after sinking a few beers the previous evening. As the wind was fairly strong they opted to put the seniors in first, and I was drawn in the first heat against Dave Williams and Kevin Matthey. I opted for a 9, but the others played safe and went for 7's. I had a decent heat and landed a decent amount of my core tricks, yet failed to get any handlepass out of the bag. The other guys were struggling with the conditions somewhat, and I was put straight through to the final. Pete Whiteley won the other Heat and Marcus Hawkins won the Playoff, which set the final up nicely.The wind was fairly consistent 9m weather now, and all of us opted to use our 9's for the final. I opened up with a few good moves, but crashed out on a couple also, Marcus seemed to be struggling with the conditions a little, but Whiteley was showing how it was done with great consistency. I failed to land my switch shifty to wrapped and also an s-bend, but when our time was over we weren't sure who'd taken it.In the evening event we were informed that Whiteley had taken it with me second and Marcus taking third spot. Richard Gowers 'entertained' us all with a rendition of Barbie Girl on the Karaoke, but nobody was asking for an encore :)

After a loong night out in Barrow Town, we awoke the next day to yet more wind. It took a while for the tide to go out, but an expression session was run, to provide a show and clear our heads! It was manic with all of us riding so closely together, boosting high and generally messing around, but also amazing fun. It must have been a great spectacle for anyone watching from the beach.Shortly afterwards we all packed up followed by the award ceremony, then made our way home with memories of a truely incredible event.

The forecast for the weekend wasn't great, and as I turned up on Friday afternoon, I wasn't sure whether the competitions would run. There seemed to be enough wind to have a muck about, so headed over to Paddy's Hole for a bit of a practice - the wind was up and down, but enough to bang out a few tricks.When the evening came, we all gathered for the excellent BBQ, hosted by Mark Ward and Sukie Robertson then sank a few beers and had a good chinwag with the riders.Saturday dawned with light winds from the SouthEast and a fairly poor forecast, yet we all remained optimistic; The wind was up and down all day, and was sufficient to get some course racing done, but no good for the freestyle. The wind did pick up a little in the early evening, after the events had been called off for the day, so managed to get a bit of time on the water. Saturday night was party time, and we all headed down to O'Grady's for some bevvies infront of the live band. I called it a night at 12, but several riders hit the clubs after, knowing that the prospect of decent conditions on Sunday was unlikely.I awoke on Sunday to heavy rain, but the forecast was for it to clear up fairly quickly. The forecast was still pretty marginal, but we were fairly optimistic that we may be able to get some events run. When we went for the morning briefing, a sizeable section of the seafront drive was flooded, and we were all talking about going skimboarding on it.. a few hours later we put our plan into practice, whilst waiting for the winds to improve. This proved to be a real laugh, and the youths even made a kicker and slider from a piece of wood which was lying around. A short video of the action can be found below.As the day progressed the wind improved enough to get the junior kitesurfing done, and to also run some race and land events, but it wasn't consistent enough to get a full programme of events done. Events were called to a close at 3pm, and we all gathered for the prizegiving before starting out on our trips home.As usual I managed to score more time on the water than anyone else (bar the racers) and hit a few tricks infront of the photographers who were anxious to capture some action on an otherwise pretty disappointing weekend. Here are a few great shots by Colin Falcon (http://www.pixvault.co.uk/pur):